The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

poodling around wrote: Thu Nov 13, 2025 1:28 pm
Do you know what this is I wonder ? Not a needle holder I think but I can't figure out what it is ?

Please see the photographs 'below'.

Thank you for any help you can give.

I would suppose that it's the waste bin for used needles. If so, it's location seems to be very convenient. Just swing the reproducer over the opening, loosen the thumbscrew, and let the needle drop directly into the slot without the bodily risk of impalement.

JerryVan wrote: Thu Nov 13, 2025 1:43 pm

poodling around wrote: Thu Nov 13, 2025 1:28 pm
Do you know what this is I wonder ? Not a needle holder I think but I can't figure out what it is ?

Please see the photographs 'below'.

Thank you for any help you can give.

I would suppose that it's the waste bin for used needles. If so, it's location seems to be very convenient. Just swing the reproducer over the opening, loosen the thumbscrew, and let the needle drop directly into the slot without the bodily risk of impalement.

I don't think so because there are two other needle holders (for old and new needles I assume) located at the top left of the motor board ...

The two dome lidded pots are for different tone needles. As Jerry said the pot with the concave lid, with the hole in the centre, is definitely for used needles conveniently placed under the soundbox to drop the used needle into. This placement is sometimes seen on other manufacturers such as HMV and Columbia. The concave lid is not just to collect the needles but makes it difficult to take a needle out of it should you forget which pot is which.

jamiegramo wrote: Thu Nov 13, 2025 3:42 pm The two dome lidded pots are for different tone needles. As Jerry said the pot with the concave lid, with the hole in the centre, is definitely for used needles conveniently placed under the soundbox to drop the used needle into. This placement is sometimes seen on other manufacturers such as HMV and Columbia. The concave lid is not just to collect the needles but makes it difficult to take a needle out of it should you forget which pot is which.

Aha ! Initially I was sceptical about this but I can now see that the narrow and deep pot can actually be easily lifted out and removed (pulled out), the contents thrown away and the pot replaced - a finger never has to delve into there and be hurt.

Thank you very much then Jamie and Jerry !

Solved !

poodling around wrote: Fri Nov 07, 2025 6:37 am Of course, don't worry if you can't but if you can I wonder if you could upload the Chromogram catalogue again as it was 'lost' in a previous and very informative thread you started some years ago.
Happy days always !

Now re-posted in a new thread. Grab it before it disappears!

Roger.

epigramophone wrote: Fri Nov 14, 2025 9:51 am

poodling around wrote: Fri Nov 07, 2025 6:37 am Of course, don't worry if you can't but if you can I wonder if you could upload the Chromogram catalogue again as it was 'lost' in a previous and very informative thread you started some years ago.
Happy days always !

Now re-posted in a new thread. Grab it before it disappears!

Roger.

Ha ha !

Very good - thank you very much.

You know, I only bought my MP22 because I read your older thread comments saying how good these Chromogram gramophones are.

I was certainly not disappointed as this is now my best sounding floor-standing gramophone and it lives in my lounge !

Thank you for that too !

I was going to post this earlier, but couldn't log in to my account.

Concerning the question about the counter-weight, in the initial post, it makes perfect sense considering the fact that the designers of the gramophone opted not to use a more conventional swan neck style tonearm, and instead used a "straight" tapered tonearm. Unlike the tonearms used for the HMV/Victor/Columbia, etc., gramophones, the straight tonearm's entire weight, coupled with the weight of the sound box, would press upon the record's surface, adding undue pressure and increasing record wear.

In their design of the VV-1-5 portable, which was fitted with a straight tonearm, Victor included a spring loaded balance knob at the base of the tonearm. When carefully adjusted, it would make the pressure on the record's surface about the same as a more conventional Victor talking machine with a goose neck style tonearm. I owned one decades ago, and used a small postal scale to get the adjustment right.

OrthoFan